The Reliable One is a municipal utility owned by citizens of Orlando. It provides electricity and water services to customers in Orlando, St. Cloud, and parts of Orange and Osceola Counties. The history of OUC reveals a consistent record of forward-thinking expansion and service delivery improvement, which is characteristic of locally controlled utilities.

These Statutes govern how all affairs are conducted for special Districts within the State of Florida, from qualifying as a Supervisor, meeting notice requirements, bidding limits and procedures, to all aspects of financing public infrastructure. Chapter 190, F.S. is the primary section related to CDDs, but there are a variety of other sections (Chapters 120, 170, 197, to list a few) that deal with various aspects of District business, administration, and financing.

From Mayor Jacobs: “Welcome to Orange County’s award-winning site. I hope you will find our pages informative and interactive. Our goal is always to give you better access to the open and responsive government services you deserve.” Mayor Jacobs replaces Richard Crotty with her win in the November 2010 election.

Mayor Jacobs is the chief executive of a County government that provides complete urban services to more than 1 million people, nearly two-thirds of whom live in the unincorporated areas of the County. She is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the County government, overseeing nearly 7,000 employees with an annual budget of over $2.5 million.

From Bill Donegan: “As Orange County Property Appraiser, I’d like to be the first to welcome you to our website. It’s provided as a service to our taxpayers, the community, and the public abroad to assist in obtaining information on properties within Orange County, Florida. We, in turn, welcome your comments and suggestions on how we may better serve you.”

The Property Appraiser determines the value of all property within the County, including improved and vacant real property, tangible personal property, and agricultural property. The Property Appraiser is also responsible for maintaining property ownership records and parcel ownership maps, and these records are available online on their website.

Florida-Friendly Landscaping is another program offered by the University of Florida IFAS extension. Landscaping the Florida-Friendly way means using low-maintenance plants and environmentally sustainable practices. Lean how you can have a beautiful landscape that could save you time, energy and money, while protecting our future.

The groundwork for managing water resources was laid in the early 1970s when Florida’s voters and lawmakers recognized the importance of managing the State’s water resources in a way that would benefit everyone. Through passage of the Water Resources Act (Chapter 373, Florida Statutes), the Water Management Districts were created in 1972 for this purpose. In northeast and east-central Florida, that responsibility falls to the St. Johns River Water Management District.

District officials recognize the need to have water resources available for people’s needs and to balance those needs with nature’s needs. In its daily operations, the District tries to strike a balance in water needs by educating the public about water conservation, setting rules for water use, conducting research, collecting data, buying and managing land, restoring and protecting water above and below the ground, and preserving natural areas.

The third arm of the land grant system was provided by the Smith-Lever Act in 1914. This Act established the Cooperative Extension Service and specific that the service would be associated with a land grant college. The University of Florida in Gainesville is Florida’s land-grant University. The transfer of knowledge from UF to people throughout the State is facilitated by “Extension” faculty located in each of Florida’s 67 Counties. This partnership between Counties and the University is the heart of the “Cooperative” Extension Service mission and enables the University to extend its knowledge base to each community.

Stephanie C. Kopelousos was appointed Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) by Governor Charlie Crist on April 2, 2007. She brings more than a decade of professional experience in State and Federal public policy, with an emphasis in transportation.

Under her leadership, the Department is focused on its core mission of providing a safe transportation system that ensures the mobility of people and goods, enhances economic prosperity, and preserves in the quality of our environment and communities. To accomplish this mission, Secretary Kopelousos is pursuing three priorities: improving safety, increasing mobility, and providing transportation options for the people of Florida.

The Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program is an environmental educational program of the University of Florida Extension, informing home owners how they can be more environmentally friendly with their landscape practices, helping to protect Florida’s natural environment for future generations.

The objectives of Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Programs are to:

Reduce stormwater runoff

Decrease non-point source pollution

Conserve water

Enhance wildlife habitat

Create beautiful landscapes

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Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.